Throughout the workshop, attendees generated questions about the future of distance education. These questions were solicited using an online feedback form and in a closing session. In particular, they identified two categories that the physics community needs to investigate in order to move ahead: understanding both the promises and risks of distance education and online learning, and considering how to provide participatory learning experiences online.

Understanding the promises and risks of DE/OL

What are best practices in online physics and astronomy education? What is the evidence that these are best practices?

What are good learning outcomes in DE/OL?

How do we emphasize the need for face-to-face support in quality education?

What are the risks in DE/OL?

How do we address the possible replacement of regular faculty with adjuncts or the possible elimination of physics departments?

How do we investigate the impact of future technologies?

How do we provide accessibility for all in DE/OL, including ADA compliance?

What is the potential impact of changes to introductory classes on future physicists (i.e., the future physics majors)?

How do we protect the intellectual ownership of what we do as teachers?

Providing participatory learning experiences in DE/OL

In a flipped classroom, how do we import the participatory activities that happen in the classroom to an online venue?

How do we make hands-on labs part of DE/OL?

How do we include group work in DE/OL?

How do we build community in DE/OL?

Do DE/OL classes promote the kind of learning we know is lacking in lecture-only classes, but which takes place in interactive, face-to-face classes?